1779: Joe Anderson, a Bermuda-born sailor, successfully eluded his enslaver by jumping aboard a ship at Port Antonio on Jamaica’s north coa

1779: Joe Anderson, a Bermuda-born sailor, successfully eluded his enslaver by jumping aboard a ship at Port Antonio on Jamaica’s north coast. He managed this escape despite being shackled with an iron collar and several links of chain. For the next fourteen years, Anderson evaded recapture by finding consistent work and shelter aboard various seagoing vessels. By 1793, he had achieved a form of legendary status and was well known in Kingston while continuing to ply his trade. His career exemplifies how “sailor Negroes” utilized their mobile jobs to fashion lives outside the grasp of persistent enslavers.